IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

NEC Corporation (Thailand) Ltd., or NEC Thailand, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Umong Municipality in Lamphun Province to jointly develop a digital technology platform aimed at enhancing elderly care and supporting dependent patients, including homebound and bedridden individuals. This collaboration is part of the efforts to elevate Umong Municipality into a Smart City.

The project will begin with the development of a digital healthcare platform connected to local medical facilities, playing a critical role in providing long-term care for the elderly and chronically ill patients. The platform is designed to improve the efficiency of medical personnel and caregivers.

Phuket ranks as Thailand’s most technologically advanced province among 23 smart provinces while Wangchan Valley in Rayong tops the list of 30 smart cities, the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (Depa) announced on Wednesday (June 19).

Depa’s Smart Cities Office released the ranking of 30 smart cities in 23 provinces for 2023 as part of its report, “Thailand Smart City Competitiveness Index (TSCCI) 2023”.

At the Thailand Smart City Expo 2023, Commerce Minister Phumtham Wechayachai laid bare the nation’s ambitious blueprint for smart cities. Packed with tax incentives and cutting-edge technology, this plan is set to reshape Thailand’s urban landscape.

During his address at the Thailand Smart City Expo, Commerce Minister Phumtham Wechayachai catapulted Thailand into a new era of urban development. Unveiling the Smart City Plan as a cornerstone of the 13th national economic and social development plan, Phumtham, also serving as the deputy prime minister in charge of the economy, positioned smart cities as a national priority.

Thailand has made good progress in getting its Smart Thailand IT roadmap off the ground, but it will face challenges in getting civil servants to use the government cloud (G-Cloud), citizens to embrace e-government initiatives, and having enough tech professionals to develop the country's infrastructure.

Dr Sak Segkhoonthod, President and CEO of Electronic Government Agency, delivered the opening keynote and revealed Thailand’s ICT master plan “Smart Thailand” and how ICT can answer the public sector’s need to deliver sustainable growth.

“Smart Thailand regards ICT as an important driver towards a stronger economy, social equality, and environmental friendliness,” said Dr Segkhoonthod.

The Information and Communication Technology and the Interior ministries are working jointly to launch the first 'Smart City' at Nakhon Nayok as part of the Smart Thailand plan.

The disclosure was made by the ICT Minister Anudith Nakornthap at the annual meeting of Information and Communication Technology Press Club last weekend.

As Thailand marches towards its goal of sustainable development under the Thailand 4.0 model, the smart-city concept is front and centre in the country’s action plan.

By leveraging cutting-edge ICT technology and new generation platforms – including cloud-base products which enable on-demand computing mobile, AI, and big data analytics -- Thailand’s smart-city plan centres on providing innovative services to citizens, businesses and tourists in the form of social, business and environmental solutions.

Thailand is still trailing its neighbours in offering online services that best serve its people, according to Surapong Suebwonglee, the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) minister.

The pandemic has been driving demand for electronic document management, resulting in five- to six-fold growth last year as organisations geared up for remote work and searched for cost savings, says Ditto Thailand, a document and data management service provider.

The company, which filed last year for an initial public offering (IPO) that was approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 6, aims to list on the Market for Alternative Investment (MAI).

The System Integration Promotion Alliance (SIPA), a program from Taiwan's Industrial Development Bureau (IDB), recently brought a delegation composed of smart city and IoT companies to Bangkok.

The group attended the Smart City Industry Forum and the Taiwan-Thailand Industrial Collaboration Summit (TTICS) among other activities.

Upon hearing that the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has launched an initiative to make Bangkok's old town in the Rattanakosin area a smart city, I became curious. What does the agency have in mind when it thinks of "smart city"?

More importantly, the BMA's credits in old town management is next to zero. The agency tends to use a heavy-handed approach in dealing with older communities. There are allegations that it has no understanding when it comes to the old town and residents and that unfortunately, is blamed for its demolition of more than a few old communities and markets.

SET-listed B.Grimm Power has teamed up with Thailand's second largest industrial land developer and operator, Amata Corporation, to develop a smart city in a major industrial area.

The company wants to build a smart grid, or distributed power generation system, in the area as part of plans to expand its electricity-related businesses.

depa together with Prachin Buri Province jointly announced the success of the development of Si Maha Phot District to become a smart city as a Smart Living model under the Si Maha Phot Smart Living Showcases Project by applying digital technology and innovation in three important areas. The development aims to improve city quality of life, respond directly to the needs of local people as well as pave the way for a liveable smart city.

Asst. Prof. Dr. Nuttapon Nimmanphatcharin, President/CEO of Digital Economy Promotion Agency, or depa, and Mrs. Jarunee Kavin, Chief of Prachin Buri Governor’s Office, announced the success of the Si Maha Phot Smart Living Showcases developing Si Maha Phot District to become a liveable smart city in terms of Smart Living by applying digital technology and innovation.

The Digital Economy Promotion Agency (depa) together with alliances is announcing the plan to expand the Smart City Ambassadors Program into a second round of success. This time, the objective is to nurture 150 young smart city ambassadors selected from 150 areas across the nation by improving their skills and knowledges relevant to the mission. It is anticipated that it will encourage the formation of 150 smart city promotion areas and propel the development of more than 50 smart cities in Thailand. depa expands Smart City Ambassadors Program into a second year of success aiming to nurture 150 smart city ambassadors this year.

Mr. Sanon Wangsrangboon, Deputy Governor of Bangkok gave a special speech on the topic "Wider Perspectives on Smart City: Smart City, Smart People, and Smart Management with Technology" at the opening ceremony of the 2nd Smart City Ambassadors (SCA) Program.

Agency to underpin smart city expansion

The Digital Economy Promotion Agency (Depa) wants to pursue six projects to drive the country's digital economy and smart city development under its fiscal 2023 budget.

The agency plans to seek 900 million baht for its fiscal 2023 budget.

Deputy Gov. Pongsak Preechawit presided over the May 21 seminar at the Chol Inter Hotel where the EGA outlined its services and potential.

The EGA is responsible for promoting and supporting the development of e-Government services. EGA continues to run those projects and initiate various projects to support the progress of e-Government development, which could provide public with easier access to government services.

Driving the industry to unlock the potential of cloud for Thailand

The adoption of cloud computing is now such a widespread and influential trend that it cannot be ignored. Its growth is based on various benefits including cost, elasticity, scalability and ease of deployment. For industries that have long struggled to meet increasing IT requirements using server-based architectures, the range of services, systems and architectures that make up ‘the cloud’ may represent a long-overdue solution.

Yet the cloud is a disruptive technology with the power to alter significantly the housing, management and delivery of IT. Adoption has been hesitant as organisations across the world have talked the talk, rather than walked the walk in regard to cloud. It is still evident today that cloud sits outside the comfort zone of many IT professionals and C-level managers. Cloud adoption raises issue of security, service levels, management, system stability and provider trust. The leap that may be required may challenge the skills and confidence of organisations when implementing and using the cloud.